Celiac Disease is out there, and so many people aren't being diagnosed. It can show up in many forms - from psychological, on your skin, abdominal pain, anemia, unexplained miscarriages, diarrhea, brain fog, headaches, thyroid issues, joint issues, the works.

After reading many posts under this post from Udi's, many people had a blood test, it came back negative, and they had no idea until an endoscopy that what they had was actually Celiac Disease. From experience, my blood tests were boarder line positive (and I ate gluten EVERY DAY of my life) and that was enough for me to try going gluten-free, but two years later after an endoscopy, I am a positive Celiac.

The post took me back to some of my symptoms... Maybe you have experienced some of these as well...

Full = Stomach Hurting --> Reality - your stomach should never hurt. I've eaten a ton of gluten free foods at one time and my stomach doesn't hurt. Even people holding their stomachs after a big meal, unless you're going to try to be the world's next greatest hot dog eater and stuffed your face full to capacity, your stomach should not hurt. I had a hard time when I first went GF telling what full is, that comes with time. I eat a lot more now than I ever did because my pain in my stomach made me thinking I was full when here, I wasn't.

Anxiety --> So this takes me back to my 11th grade Psychology course learning about people who don't want to be around others in social settings because they have anxiety. I felt so bad for those people... then fast forward to my senior year in college, and it happened to me. My roommates would be in our living room hanging out, and I couldn't shake the fact that I couldn't join them. My anxiety would happen while I was driving I would have panic attacks on my way home from college, then started into social anxiety... --> fast forward to stop eating gluten... no anxiety. I never took anything for it and wanted to manage it naturally, here it was happening due to my gluten consumption. I no longer have anxiety more than the next person. Going gluten free has changed my life.

Positive ANA --> ANA... Anti-Nucular-Antibody.. this indicates an auto-immune disorder. I found this out when I was 16... sent to someone for arthritis.. they found I didn't have arthritis and weren't sure what it meant... so I let it go and here it was my Celiac Disease.

Inflammation --> This is a big one... my stomach gets inflamed almost immediately after I eat gluten. I'll tell you what, I can eat a ton of gluten free foods and my stomach doesn't grow. But I get one little cross-contamination and here come on the stretchy pants. I learned recently that my inflammation isn't just in my stomach, but is in my face, my hands... I switched to gluten free products and makeup... my face has de-swollen, my ring on my finger is now loose... it's amazing... Gluten doesn't just harm your intestines, it harms all tissues, and this is where many people go wrong. Even if you put on lotion that contains, say, oats, and you go eat your sandwich, being a Celiac even 1/5 of a bread crumb will make you sick - so there's your cross contamination.

Vitamin D levels low - I now take 2000 IUs each day to up my vitamin D intake to normal

Celiac Disease Positive - from endoscopy --> I had blood work done first 2 years ago which said I was boarder line for my Glidden Antibodies... yet I tested positive from my endoscopy years later. I would recommend an endoscopy if your health permits. It's a quick procedure and gives you accurate results. My life hasn't changed much after, I still eat GF, but it lets me know it's a hereditary issue, not just intolerance, that I'm dealing with.

Diarrea - This wasn't a big one for me. I only had it if I ate gluten+many oils when I was eating gluten still. The "run to the bathroom" shouldn't happen for anyone unless you have an intestinal disorder like Celiacs... or can't tolerate high levels of fat, I'm assuming. After being GF, the only time this happened to me in 2 years was if I got a bad cross-contamination only in the beginning of being GF, since then I have had 0 symptoms, even after eating high-fat foods.

"Difficulty" Digesting Dairy - I put quotes around this one because I know my vili are damaged and hence it's harder for me to digest dairy - so for example, when I was still eating gluten and I had Dairy Queen, my stomach hurt and I felt like I had that run to the bathroom feeling sometimes. Even today being GF, my stomach isn't the best with milk and cheese, so I eat dairy free cheese and drink almond milk.

If anyone has/had similar symptoms I'd love to hear from you! I enjoy helping you all and sharing my story to help others out there unsure what's going on inside of them. I've been blessed to help a girl at work like me... who now through tests has shown to have to be GF as well. I hope this helps someone and I would love to hear from you!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Wedding season is just around the corner. As a gluten-free-bride-to-be, there's a lot to think about to ensure you stay gluten-free for your wedding day. I'm here to help! Here are some tips for my gluten-free-brides-to-be or bridesmaids to ensure the bride stays gluten-free for her big day:

Planning your Menu:

Make sure your Chef/Caterer knows of your Allergy/Celiacs Disease. Let them know all that you can't eat (wheat, barely, rye, oats) and anything made from them (vinegar, etc.)

Make an all Gluten-Free Menu

I'm doing this and this way, I know the whole kitchen will be gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination

Talk to your Spouse to be

Every wedding I've been to there's always the *ding*ding*ding clinging of the glasses together to have the newly married couple kiss. Make sure your spouse knows no gluten while getting ready in the morning and they are to eat gluten-free with you that day as well. This way you won't have any worries and can enjoy your day. Also see the alcohol section below...

Have them eat gluten-free during your rehearsal dinner with you and refrain from that tempting IPA that's full of gluten. They're marrying you, I'm sure they'll understand!

Find a Baker who can make you a Gluten-Free Cake

Try different bakeries out months before you have to decide on a cake... see how you feel (bloated, hurt...) to ensure no cross-contamination

See if the chef/caterer you are using can make a gluten-free cake as well and add it to your tasting

Get a little cake for you and your spouse to be and get cupcakes for the rest or even do something different for your guests like an ice cream bar. **Just make sure your cake is far from any cross-contamination and your wedding planner doesn't touch the glutened cupcakes then touch your cake.

If you get a gluten-free cake, don't have the gluten-filled cake be under your gluten-free top - this is cross-contamination

The Cookie Table

Keep this far from your food and your cake. You can still have one but ensure noone set up the cookies then set up your wedding cake. Precautions are a must on your wedding day!

The Alcohol

Make sure you have some gluten-free alcohol choices for you to have on your big day. Wine is always a good choice. For a gluten-free alcohol list, visit my post: Gluten-Free Alcohol

Your spouse will have to refrain from drinking beer with his buddies that day (unless it's gluten-free beer). This is the time to break out the scotch or whisky to celebrate his big day too!

If your spouse went out the night before, make sure they have thoroughly brushed their teeth (okay mom...) to be sure nothing is lingering from the night before. Crest and Colgate toothpastes are both gluten-free ;)

For your Bridal Shower:

Make sure your bridal party knows you can't have gluten so they choose options for you to eat at your shower - this includes main dish and the desserts as well

Your fiance will most likely come visit you at the end of your shower. Write him a little note in the morning and ask him to eat gluten-free for you that morning so you don't get any cross-contamination from your welcome kiss

Months Leading Up to your Big Day:

I highly recommend switching to all gluten-free products. This includes makeup, hair products, lotions, everything. This will help you with your inflammation leading up to your wedding day. For more about gluten-free makeup, here's my post: Gluten-Free Makeup

Drink plenty of water and exercise - do yoga to relieve stress, take walks, or anything that you enjoy to take away stresses before your big day

Try not to eat out. Eating out can cause cross-contamination and possible gluten-attacks. That even means sticking to plain coffee at Starbucks unless you're sure it's gluten-free.

Rehearsal Dinner:

Make sure the place where you are holding your rehearsal dinner is very aware that you can't have gluten what-so-ever. No cross-contamination at all! You don't want to be hurting the night before your wedding and look like you are so bloated the next day and feel the pain as you walk down the isle (Okay I'm not trying to scare you but!) so it is VERY important who ever is planning this dinner talks with the chef so they know to be extra careful.

Your Wedding Day:

Have a fun morning with your girls getting ready, but hold the gluten! Have mimosas, relax, have some fruit or your favorite gluten-free breakfast. Drink water but not too much!

Relax, have fun! You've already gotten everything taken care of, now it's time to celebrate!

Monday, November 17, 2014

Happy Monday! So I've been doing some research lately and couldn't wait to share my findings with you! I'm a HUGE product lover. HUGE. Ever since I was young I loved having different shampoos, lotions, then different blushes, eyeshadows, and my collection of perfume could probably put Macy's to shame. So a product girl gets Celiac... what's she to do? Well... I thought it was okay to keep using my makeup. I mean, who really knows what half the stuff is in their makeup right? For an organic girl I can't believe I didn't pay more attention to it... So here's what started it all...

I recently got engaged! (yay!) and my fiance got me a beautiful ring. I wear it all the time and from time to time I started to realize... it gets stuck on my finger after being "glutened". I even spent one night searching online about inflammation with gluten and other Celiacs having the same problem. So okay, I decided to not eat out for a while so no cross-contamination could happen.. done. But it still isn't going down... So my friend at work told me she got all gluten-free shampoo. I thought that's actually a really good idea. So I researched my shampoo, gluten-free.. good. But then it hit me. Makeup. We wear it all day long, wash our face, even get it in our eyes sometimes or find those black boogers left over from our mascara. If my makeup isn't gluten free... then I'm still getting glutened.

Let's back it up a bit... When I first became gluten free every site told me - you're not ingesting makeup so it's "safe" to use any shampoo, conditioner, lotion, makeup, the works. Ok people on the internet, let's think about this shall we? What happens when you put on say wrinkle cream. Isn't that supposed to be absorbed into your skin to prevent wrinkles... better yet - go wash your hands. Now put lotion on them. Is the lotion still there? N.O. It absorbed into the skin. Okay now go put on your makeup for the day, touch your toothbrush, go downstairs, make coffee... (WAIT).. if your makeup has gluten in it - you just touched all those things and now you're about to eat your delicious gluten free bagel.. okay I'll continue. As your sitting at work you touch your hand to your face, touch your keyboard, oh it's lunch time! Let's go eat (with your glutened hands). Time to go home! Gluten on your steering wheel... you get home, give your significant other a kiss on the lips (make sure they didn't eat gluten today!) or the cheek (kissing now their shaving cream or lotion). Then you eat dinner... then go to bed, take off your makeup.. and the process starts all over again. Even putting on lotion then eating or touching your face, nose, mouth... if it has gluten on it - it's getting in you somehow. So let's honestly take a look at what you've been told on the internet before from all the Celiac sites - as long as you don't ingest it you're fine. Well I don't see anyone but 2 year olds trying to eat makeup but honestly, think about it... it's hiding everywhere.

Okay back to the ring... (I swear there's a point! :))

So I decided to see what's all in my make up. I wrote down all my makeup and started to email companies to see if what I had actually contained gluten. What I found out, surprised me and I think it'll surprise you too. Most companies couldn't guarantee that the item didn't contain gluten because of their suppliers, the fragrance, cross-contamination, or whatever excuse their automated message about gluten had back to me. [I just have to laugh because some responses said that "they talked with their doctors and as long as it isn't ingested.." I'll stop there.]

NOT GLUTEN-FREE LIST:

[I don't recommend you using any of these if you are a Celiac or have an allergy to Gluten]:

Bareminerals [yes.. Bareminerals - however, they claim many products to be made without gluten yet on their website says that: While the list below shows the Wheat, Oat, Rye and Barely free products please keep in mind that these products may be made in an environment that handles Wheat, Oat, Rye and Barley derivatives.] next...

Covergirl Makeup [they had said it could be in products containing fragrances]

Noir Cosmetics

NYX Cosmetics

Clinique

Bath and Body Works Products

Skintimate Shave Gel [response is here and honestly, this is the same company that makes Gillette soo.. next time you kiss your boyfriend/fiance/hubby: With regard to our line of Shave Gels products, although we do not use wheat protein or wheat derived oils in our product formulations, we cannot certify that our facilities are gluten free. In addition, the plant origin of some ingredients may vary, making Gluten Free Certification difficult.We regret we are not able to suggest a product that meets your needs at this time.] Well... on the hunt now for new shave gel...

Maybelline Makeup

and.. prepare for this.

PURELL [response: In order to provide sustainable solutions, we do source ethyl alcohol from natural sources including cereal grains. The manufacturer of the alcohol uses a process to provide a highly purified material that contains no proteins or high molecular weight material. None of the other ingredients in the product are from potential gluten sources.] This product is mostly ethyl alcohol. Germ-a-phobe me.. I use this about 7 times a day. So, need to find a replacement... sigh.

Needless to say, most of my stuff contained gluten or got cross-contaminated with my brushes, eyeshadow, etc. So, I decided to start fresh.

Thank God Urban Decay's Naked 2 Eye Shadow Pallet is gluten-free. So is their eye shadow primer [all are GF except anti-aging because it contains Cermide 2] so I purchased new of both of those. I also purchased Tarte makeup. As of today, their line is all gluten-free and doesn't contain any gluten. I picked up their Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation, Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Dazzled, their Park Avenue Princess Amazonian Clay Matte Bronzer, and their Lip Surgence in many wonderful colors. I also use their eyeliner and brow filler. Here's the link to their website where you can find these products and more! Tarte or you can get their products from Ulta as well here: Ulta

I recommend using Ebates to get cash back from purchasing online (I'm sure you've seen the commercials) but you get 4% cash back at Tarte online and 6% at Ulta online... here's the link to sign up! Ebates

Long story short, for the past 2 weeks I've been using all new makeup from Tarte and Urban Decay exclusively, bought all new brushes, and a new makeup bag.

THE RESULT:

My ring is actually loose on my finger. I'd have to take it off before bed before I changed out my makeup because it would swell during the night and I couldn't put it on until about 10am the next morning [keep in mind my kitchen is 99.9% GF minus my fiance's Halloween Candy] so being glutened didn't cause the swelling all the time beforehand]. For having to deal with a swollen finger for the past 2 months was terrible, as soon as I changed my products out for all gluten-free (including makeup, hair, lotion, etc.) no. more. swollen finger. It's been amazing to have my ring now very lose on my finger as my body de-flates after being glutened by products. I would've never known the damage still being done to my body without this "test" of switching everything out. Not only that, but when I smile I noticed more lines on my face as if it was still inflammed... now, I actually don't have as many smile lines - my face is smaller and "tighter" - if only I would've done this all before engagement photos..

I now use all gluten free shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, hair products, everything. I'll be posting soon about those and about household products that are safe to use! :)

In conclusion, I definitely recommend switching to using all gluten-free products in your home and on your body (and your family's bodies). Let me know how it works for you. If you have any questions about the products listed above and my emails to them feel free to message me I'll get you what they said to me! Also, if you write to companies for your products to wonder if they're gluten free - let me know what they say and we can add to the list.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

It's starting to get crisp outside which means it's the perfect time to make something warm and delicious for your family to keep them warm inside and out! This recipe is gluten-free but can be made full-gluten by substituting out the gluten-free flour for regular.

I had a few apples from a local orchard and was thinking what can I make... my fiance loves apple pie but I wanted to make something different, so I came up with an apple bake. It uses the same crust recipe as my gluten-free pie crust and is altered to be more of an apple dish than crust/carb dish. Bake it and put it in your favorite mug to enjoy along with a great cup of coffee and you will be sure to be back for more!

For the crust part:

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten-free flour

1/8 tsp salt

3 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 Large egg, beaten

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp very cold water

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350*

Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a fork until the mixture becomes crumbly.

In a separate bowl, beat egg and apple cider vinegar

Add the egg & vinegar mixture

Use dough hook on your mixer and mix ingredients

Add the cold water and mix all together

For the apple part:

Ingredients:

3 medium to large apples, pealed and sliced

3 TBSP melted butter

4 TBSP Cinnamon

2/3 cup brown sugar

Directions:

Peal and cut up the apples and place into the bowl along with the dough

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Yum... vegetables. I've been keeping a food diary of different triggers that cause me to have the "glutened" feeling, and I've found vegetables to keep me full, satisfied, and feeling totally gluten-free.

Making the medley is pretty simple. I've made it a few different ways these past couple weeks - and the best part is that you can make it and save it for later or to feed a large hungry family. The recipe below will feed 2+ but you can add more to save/freeze/feed your little ones. The best kind of cooking is when you just "eyeball it".

What to gather:

1 Medium Yellow Onion

2-3 handfulls of Cherry Tomatoes

3-4 Small Red Potatoes

1/4 head of Cabbage

1 Medium Zucchini

Any additional vegetables you'd like to add!

2 TBSP Minced Garlic

2-3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 TBSP Parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do:

Cut up all of your vegetables and start cooking all ingredients but the cabbage just before medium heat and cover.

Cook the potatoes until they are just before tender and add your cabbage. Cover until cabbage is no longer hard (5-10 mins).

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Yum. That's all I have to say. At work there's a breakfast club. Another girl and I have Celiacs in our group so we can't "partake" in breakfast club as everyone else brings in and chows down on bagels. Blasphemy. So one morning, a kind gentleman said, "Hey, tomorrow I'm bringing in breakfast and the muffins are gluten-free." We asked him, "Are you sure?" And he said, "Yeah - that's what the box said". So, my friend and I believed him and were excited to finally partake in breakfast club.

The next morning he came to get us to show us the muffins, and we were shocked. They looked wonderful - just as if they were full of that evil gluten. We took a bite slowly - scared they were full of gluten and we'd have a terrible rest of the day with bloating. A few minutes later, no hurt, we devoured two of them. "What did you use?" we asked. "King Arthur Gluten Free Muffins" he said.

Lunch came... and we were both at the store, purchasing this box. [It is at Wal-Mart for the cheapest, but Target, Amazon, and Whole Foods also carry it!]

These taste the farthest from being gluten-free. You'll be thinking your eating gluten :) - only you are eating 100% gluten-free!

Stir together the melted butter or oil, eggs, and the mix. In the same bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the milk 1/4 cup at a time - scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Continue beating at a medium speed until the batter thickens. If desired, stir in your add-ins.

Fill the muffin cups almost full. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired.

Bake for 18-22 mins - make sure they are cooked by inserting a toothpick into the middle to check to see if they are done.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Ok my mouth is watering just looking at the beautiful lasagna! I made this the other night and my boyfriend said: "If you don't make this again in the next two weeks I'm going to be mad". He LOVED it so much.

Here's what you need:

1 box De Boles Gluten-Free Lasagna (the kind you don't have to pre-cook)

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

I've tried it all... Bath & Body Works, Dove, Ivory, you name it. I was a huge Bath & Body Works fan and always got their shower gel when it was on sale. Back around 2006 I was so excited to try their new formulated lotion when I got out of the shower. I put on the "Sea Island Cotton" lotion and bam. My arms broke out. Now I must say I never break out from products. This startled me. It wasn't until then did my eyes open to what is actually put in products. Think of when you get a cut. You put ointment on your cut and it helps it heal... thus the same goes when you put on lotion or body wash... your skin soaks in whatever you put on it. Looking at the ingredients in a Bath & Body Works product... what are these ingredients?

The average consumer buys products and has no idea what's in them. Working in corporate retail, I know products are made cheap cheap cheap. Negotiations take place and it's all about margin and making the most money. The consumer is thought of but it all comes down to profit.

Ok enough of scaring you about what's in your products...

Being consumers ourselves, we want a good product at a great price. I no longer buy from B&BW for lotions and shower gels, and have moved on to buy mostly gluten-free and NON-GMO. [learn more about GMOs from my earlier post: NON-GMO]

I've been pleasantly surprised by EO Everyone's Soap. It's NON-GMO, Gluten-Free... the works... and, it smells amazing. Check out the back of the bottle below:

It's $9.99 and you can find it at Whole Foods, Amazon, Target, and probably your local grocery store. It literally lasts for months. Just as you want to put good IN your body, you should put good products ON your body. Their body wash is a natural plant-based soap. All you need is 1-2 pumps of the body wash on your bath puff and you are set. I even have the boyfriend hooked on their men's line. Check out their products on their website: EO Everyone

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Almost two years ago now [September 2012] when I realized something was going on inside with bloating and feeling terrible, I decided to go to the doctors. I asked to get a blood test to see if gluten was the culprit. My results came back "borderline". That was enough for me. I had to do something to feel better. I gave away/took back all of my glutened food and started my gluten-free journey. I heard of people getting their intestines biopsied but thought, "Woah that's too much for me I'm going to see if this works". And, it did. After a few weeks/months of de-tox mode and feeling tired and sick, I started to heal. My diet before was mostly gluten. I only ate pasta when I'd go out to eat, and when I'd go out to eat I'd only want to go to Italian restaurants. I had a lot of de-toxing to do.

Fast forward two years later, totally gluten-free, I still have bloating. Even if I have the tiniest bit of gluten, my stomach grows, hurts, and it gets to be miserable. I decided to see a gastroenterologist to see what's going on. I had my first endoscopy this month. I was scared beyond belief. I knew I had to find out if I just have an allergy or if this is the real deal. It took a couple weeks and I just got my results today, I officially have Celiacs Disease. It gives me answers and now I know those minor cross-contaminations at the local restaurants are a big deal.

I recommend anyone who has been recently diagnosed with gluten problems to get an endoscopy when they first find out they need to go gluten-free. This way, you can track your villi in your small intestine to see the healing process. Also, listen to your body. My results from a blood test came back borderline. I knew something was greater than those tests show. Even getting tested recently after eating all gluten free, the blood test showed that the antibodies were gone. Yet, there was a much bigger hidden issue the blood test couldn't see. Listen to your body. If you have a family member who has Celiacs or gluten problems, it's best you see how your body is responding and get tested too.